This invention relates to a modified lipase, which is soluble in organic solvents and can also maintain the enzymic activity even in organic solvents.
Generally speaking, utilization of an enzyme is limited to the reaction in an aqueous system, because an enzyme will lose its activity when it comes into contact with organic solvents or it is insoluble in organic solvents. Accordingly, if a modified enzyme soluble in organic solvents and capable of exhibiting enzymic activity can be obtained by chemical modification of an enzyme, there is the possibility that the enzymatic reaction may be carried out in organic solvents in the manufacturing steps or a water-insoluble substance may be used as the substrate, whereby the scope of industrial utilization of enzymes will be markedly enlarged.
Lipase is an enzyme which catalyzes irreversible hydrolysis and synthesis of fat. Since most of substrates are insoluble in water, if it is possible to carry out the enzymatic reaction in organic solvents, the scope of utilization of lipase will be enlarged such as decomposition and synthesis of various kinds of esters, modification of fats through interesterification, etc.